This past weekend, the Lafayette track and field team continued its indoor season, with some athletes competing at the NYC Gotham Cup on Friday and others competing at the Moravian University International on Saturday.
Friday’s competition was held at the Ocean Breeze Track and Field Facility in Staten Island, N.Y.
“There’ve been world records that’ve been set on that track, so it’s a super cool atmosphere and it definitely feels like you’re in a place where you can run a really fast time,” junior Lily Dineen said.
Dineen took sixth place in her first 1000-meter with a time of 3:01.96.
“I was a little bit nervous going into it, but I felt really strong and it gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I definitely surprised myself with what I could do in that event.”
Adding to the top-10 finishes for Lafayette was freshman Elizabeth Borah, who placed fourth in her debut 3000-meter run. Her time of 10:07.58 is the seventh fastest in school history.
“She was really happy with that and it’s great to see,” senior Rachel Hurley said. Hurley and classmate Dannah Javens took home seventh and 13th place, respectively, in the same race.
As for other races, junior Nava Chevan secured sixth place in the 400-meter dash, setting a new indoor personal best (59.92). Freshman Kira Marr finished 11th (5:14.75), with junior Emma Lorey close behind her in 12th (5:17.08) place for the mile run. Sophomore Sara Tippin finished eighth in the 800-meter run (2:25.81).
The men also had an impressive Friday afternoon with a handful of athletes placing. Freshman Titan Casey secured a fifth-place finish in the 1000-meter run (2:29.03), with classmate Quinn Worrell right behind him in sixth place (2:29.06). Both runners finished with times just outside of Lafayette’s all-time top 10 for the event.
In the 200-meter, freshman Roman Conca placed 15th (22.49). Junior Sean Hamilton took ninth in the 3000-meter (8:48.25), and sophomore Emil Arangala and junior Elias Podber finished behind him in 13th and 15th, respectively (8:52.16, 8:58.71). Senior Andrew Swiniarski placed fifth in the weight throw with a throw of 53’8 and Andrew Bowsher placed tenth with a throw of 48’3″.
Saturday’s competition took place at Lehigh University.
On the women’s side, sophomore Julia Greeley and senior Annie Hathaway both set new personal records in the pole vault. Greeley’s vault of 11’11.25″ earned her second place and Hathaway’s 11’5.25″ earned third.
“I was definitely pushing for that,” Greeley said. “I’ve been shooting for the 3.64-meter bar for a while now, and it was definitely rewarding to clear it.”
Senior Solape Fakorede placed second in the shot put and third in the weight throw. Sophomore Erin O’Leary trailed her in fourth. Senior Claire Fedor won the triple jump with a mark of 36’2″. In the mile run, freshman Ashleigh Lustgarten placed second (5.22.68), with sophomore Casey MacElhiney and freshman Carolina McCloskey following her in fourth and fifth, respectively (5.28.37, 5.31.50).
The men saw their share of successes on Saturday, too. In the weight throw, senior Devin Rosmarin secured third (50’4.5″), while sophomore Jack Lynett took second in the pole vault (13′ 5.75″). Freshman Cole Chukoskie placed fifth in the mile run (4:26.73), and freshman John Paul Pfisterer placed second in the 400-meter (51.91).
Despite being split for the weekend, the team still showed up for and supported each other.
“Everyone who raced on Friday pretty much came to watch on Saturday, which was really cool,” Lustgarten said. “Everyone was cheering for each other.”
“I got to really focus on my event Friday, and then on Saturday I was able to go and spectate,” Hurley added. “It was fun to go and not have to worry about warming up or cooling down, but really just be present.”
The Leopards will be back in Bethlehem tomorrow to continue their indoor season with a rivalry dual meet matchup against Lehigh.
“We are taking care of ourselves more than usual, just making sure we’re energized and ready to go,” Hurley said.
